the art of hostel cooking

one invaluable skill i have learned in my experiences backpacking is the art of hostel cooking. what can you eat for $5 a day thrown together in an old pan? michelle's tips and tricks below!

tip number 1: shop local, shop in season - farmers markets are the best and cheapest way to get produce for meals, trying to get fruits and veggies that arnt in season or native to the area means they wont be as fresh and shipping costs will drive up the price
tip number 2: remember that quantity does not always equal value - buying in bulk can make the cost per ounce/liter/etc less expensive, but since you wont be staying put for long enough to use it all, it ends up not being such a great deal after all!
tip number 3: buy in complete meals, daily - another way to reduce wasted food
tip number 4: look for store brands and weekly sales
tip number 5: learn a lot of recipes - once you get fresh, cheap ingredients using the previous tips, knowing a hundred different ways to put them together will keep meals from getting repetitive. the tough part is finding things that are easy to cook with just a pot/pan and without your usual arsenal of seasonings and condiments (just imagine trying to cook most of the things you usually make without butter or olive oil, salt or pepper, dried herbs or hot sauce)

sample day's meals
breakfast (brekkie): croissant from local bakery with scrambled eggs and oj
lunch: easy asian stir fry - mix contents of 1 pouch ramen noodles (plus seasoning, without the water) with bag of prechopped veggies (if you go to the store in the morning you can usually find day-old prebagged veggies for half price! same with breads from the bakery)
snack: fruit from farmers market
dinner: pasta - spaghetti and store brand pasta sauce topped with cheddar cheese (trust me, its sooooo good after a long day walking around!)